Memories of Tobio
by Whiteface Spades
Summary: Astro has been having some odd dreams lately...can a talk with Dr. Tenma shed some light on them? Based on the 2003 TV series.


((A/N: So…this is one of the first Astro Boy fanfics I ever wrote. This was a project for my Creative Writing class, and when I finished I thought 'OMG, this would make a great Astro Boy story!', so I finished it out. I finally got around to typing and uploading it, and I hope you enjoy.))

Memories of Tobio

_The figure looked out over the vast, glistening ocean. Brown eyes regarded the turquoise-blue water with reverence, respect. Short hair, brown in hue, swayed faintly in the tropical breeze. Tan skin, soft with the virginity of youth, was kissed by the setting sun in a way that was almost indescribable. The childish face bore the water's sparkling reflection in small lines that wavered along its features: eyes, lips, and nose. Hands were folded neatly at the figure's back, a small music player resting between their slender fingers. Legs were bent just so that it seemed that the child was leaning over the edge of the cliff and would fall into the beautiful water if pushed any harder than the wind was already doing._

_The painter watched with growing curiosity, occasionally leaning in to dab a small amount of paint onto his canvas. He emphasized the reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks of the sunset by contrasting them with the stark white of the suit the boy was wearing. As the wind began to die down the child turned to face him; eyes sparkled like the quietly crashing surf below them. He gave the artist a faint smile and a small bow to show his apparent appreciation, then his form disappeared into the fading light that was painting the grass red._

He woke with a start, brown eyes wide with fright. He did not need oxygen to survive, yet his lips were parted and his chest was heaving. He tried his hardest to relax, but his robotic muscles were tense and throbbing. The moonlight reflected off of his metal skin, playing along the walls of his small room. His face was ashy and his hands clammy; he shook himself violently as if to drive away the fear that was making his heart race. He slipped out of his comfortable bed and walked to the window, undoing the locks and pulling it open. The cold night wind caressed his flushed cheeks, and he blinked a few times to get used to the chill. A small sigh slipped from his parted lips as he rested his elbows on the windowsill and put his chin in his hands, watching the moon with his large brown eyes.

Who on earth had he been dreaming about?

Ever since his kind had gained equal rights to humans, he had been plagued with horrible nightmares and periods of intense fear that would completely paralyze his body. These terrors kept him awake at night, driving home the feeling that something was missing in his life. He had tried to run on many occasions, but that only succeeded in making him weak and tired. He had continued to perform to what he believed to be Dr. O'Shay's expectations, trying desperately to his the exhaustion that was weighing him down. Doctor O'Shay would never need to know…and he wouldn't understand, anyway.

Astro gave another soft sigh and shook his head again, eyes falling shut to block out the intense moonlight that was shining down on him. He had calculated every possible option for the identity of the dream boy, and nothing he had tried had computed successfully.

It was time, he assumed, to visit Tenma-hakase. Perhaps he had the answers that he did not.

The small robot stepped up onto the windowsill, reopening his eyes to the cold wind. He jumped; his rockets quickly and instinctually burst to life and propelled him forward. Not once did he look back on the window he had left open or the house he had left behind.

As he slowly made his way to the police station at the center of town, his mind began to drift away from the frightening dream and onto darker, bleaker places. Such fear really inspired one to think, he reasoned. He thought about his own death and the people it would affect, about Zoran and how much he really cared about her, and about the peaceful mantra that Doctor O'Shay had drilled into his head.

Doctor O'Shay…O'Shay…_Otousan_?

Realization struck him like a fist in the stomach or a ton of bricks falling on the top of his head, causing him to halt in midair.

Doctor O'Shay would never be his father, his _Otousan_.

He shook himself and tried to hold in the sadness that was flooding his mind, and he pressed onward to the station. Upon landing before the large, dog-shaped building and entering the doorway, a slight feeling of dread began to creep into his heart. Was he making the right choice? Tenma-hakase could very well still be completely insane, he did not doubt. But he _needed_ answers.

His footsteps were heard by Detective Tawashi, who greeted him with concern. "Astro!" he spoke with disbelief. "What on earth are you doing here at 1 o'clock in the morning?!"

"Good morning, Tawashi-keibu," Astro replied wearily. "I'm sorry to come on such short notice, but I was wondering…if I may speak with Tenma-hakase." The detective looked at the robot incredulously.

"Why would you want to see him?!" he replied, seemingly flustered (which made Astro chuckle in the back of his mind). "The man is a _lunatic!_ Who knows what he'd try to do to you! Why the hell would you want to see him?! He's--"

"Please," Astro interrupted, regarding Tawashi with his pleading gaze. "Just let me see him, Detective. It's very important." The officer gave a quiet sigh and nodded begrudgingly, turning to walk down the long, darkened hallway.

"You're lucky I just came on my shift," he muttered as Astro caught up to him. "Otherwise I would have turned you away in a heartbeat. Guess I'm not in my right mind…" he stopped at a flight of stairs and handed the robot a set of keys. "Go to the top of these stairs and all the way down to the end of the hallway there. That's where you'll find him…"

"Ah, hai. Thank you very much, Tawashi-keibu," Astro bowed politely and turned to leave, but Tawashi gripped the keys tightly for a moment and turned him around to look into his child-like eyes.

"Be careful," he murmured. "I'm not going to come up there and save you."

"I'll be fine," Astro said coyly. "I can escape if he tries anything." This was true, and he thought on it as he flew up the stairs. He knew he had the power to get away with the flick of a finger if the need arose.

By now he had entered the hallway Tawashi had mentioned, and he watched the white walls and doors as he flew past them. He could hear the small whisperings—some loud cries as well—of the men inside the cells, and he could sometimes see them peeking out from between the bars to look at him. A few snickers and some angry shouts prompted him to pick up his pace; he reached the final doorway with ease, dropping back to the floor as he inserted the key into the lock. He took a deep breath and leaned his weight against the heavy steel door, the screeching sound of the metal making him wince.

His heart stopped for a moment as his eyes landed on the man that had created him, who was standing beside the barred window of the cell. The moon reflected off of his stern, dark eyes in a way that almost made the robot boy back out of the room. The initial shock wore off as the man turned to face him, those dark eyes widening with slight shock when he saw his creation standing in the open doorway.

"A-Astro," he spoke quietly, "it's late. What are you doing here?" the small robot shyly stepped into the room and allowed the heavy door to slam shut and lock behind him.

"Hi," he said softly. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." Tenma smiled faintly and stepped away from the window, never taking his eyes off of his son.

"Not at 1 o'clock in the morning, you don't." he replied sternly, earning a slight cringe from Astro. "What is your _real _intention in coming here…?"

"W-well…" the robot hesitated. "…I wanted you to tell me about…about these dreams I keep having...these visions that I can't seem to forget about. Have you had any of these kinds of things?" Tenma's eyebrows furrowed slightly as his robotic son spoke.

"'Visions'…? 'Dreams'…?" he nodded slowly. "I have. Dreams, mainly; visions are not common among people. What has happened in these dreams of yours?"

As Astro explained his dreams to Tenma he inched across the room and took a seat upon the bed. He never let his eyes stray off of the doctor's hands…he was unsure if he had a trick up his sleeve. Tenma nodded and listened intently, resting his hands in front of his lips as if to hide his expressions. He gave a heavy sigh as Astro finished his explanation, the pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against and took a few steps toward the small robot.

"Perhaps Tobio's memories are beginning to cross into your mind," he spoke slowly, carefully. "I did not leave those behind when I created you. You never forgot them; they were just stored far away in your data files."

"Then…" Astro murmured softly. "Will you tell me a little bit about him..? You know…what he looked like…his personality…little things like that. Maybe it will spark something in me that will make me remember." Tenma chuckled quietly and gave another nod. Astro looked up at him with begging eyes and spoke again; "Please be honest with me."

"I would never lie about something so important." Tenma replied, sounding slightly offended. "Let me see now…where should I begin…?"

"Tobio was a loving 9 year-old boy who lived for the positive things in life. Not much could be said to upset him, other than another's pain; he was always happy and full of energy, and he pleased everyone who met him. Failure to him was one of the worst parts of being human, and he tried his hardest to win at everything. In essence, he loved life.

"He looked just like you, Astro. His hair was brown and his eyes were blue. He had a smile that could easily win any award." Here Tenma paused, his eyes softening as the memories began to flood back to him. Astro looked at him for a moment, then changed his focus to the toes of his red boots.

"…go on…"

Tenma, chuckling at Astro's newfound interest in his boots, nodded slowly and continued. "Whenever I was not working and found or made time to vacation, we always tried to go somewhere we'd never been before. We were not always successful, however, but we had a favorite island that we could always go to. We had the greatest view of the ocean no matter where we stayed. The sunsets were so beautiful that painters and photographers came from all over the world just to try to capture them!"

Astro's eyes snapped up to his creator. Everything he'd just mentioned had appeared in his latest dream! _'Tenma-hakase must be psychic,'_ he reasoned.

"I remember once when we went to that island with the Ministry," Tenma was blabbering on without his robotic son's attention, "Tobio was all dressed up, and he looked very suave. As the day wore into night, I caught him out on the edge of the island's coast admiring the splendor of the sunset. I eventually joined him, and we sat there for a very long time…"

By now Astro knew everything he'd needed to know.

These dreams, these visions, these feelings…they were all memories of Tobio.

((A/N: Please say I didn't make Astro too OOC. I always imagined him acting that way around Tenma! :x Review?))


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